Alora: The Wander-Jewel (Alora 1)

“Be patient and relax,” said Raelene. “Picture it happening. Pretend you are where you want me to be, and bring me to yourself.”

She concentrated and tried to do exactly what Raelene suggested. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She heard Raelene’s laughter from a short distance away. “Well, you sent one of us over there—just the wrong one.”

She was dismayed when she opened her eyes to find herself where she’d meant to send her grandmother.

“Don’t be hard on yourself.” Raelene smiled. “You’ve already mastered more than I would have expected in months of training. As long as you can bring Kaevin to yourself when you need him, that’s the important thing, for now.”

“But I want to be able to help,” she said. “What good am I if I can’t do what a bearer needs to do?” Alora began to pace back and forth.

Raelene sighed. “Getting upset will only make it harder to achieve your goal. You have to be in total control at all times, or you could make fatal mistakes. If you accidentally transport yourself somewhere and pass out, you’ll kill both yourself and Kaevin. It’s better to do nothing than to make an accidental sending.”

“Okay. You’re right, of course.” She took slow breaths to calm herself and walked back to stand in front of Raelene. “I’ll just stand here and think about it until it happens. If you have any ideas to help me, throw them out there.”

Alora stood still and quiet for ten minutes, attempting to relax and move her grandmother a few feet away. She tried to remember exactly how she imaged transporting someone to herself. How was it that she pictured it in her mind? It was more like a desire or a wish, rather than willing something to happen. So, if she wished for Raelene to move instead of trying to force her to move, maybe that would—

“Excellent,” cried Raelene, before letting out a groan. “Now we can work on the landing.”

Alora looked up to find her grandmother a few feet away, sprawled on the ground. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Grandmother!” She ran to help her up.

“No, no. I didn’t expect to land on my feet the first time. Especially at the beginning when you need to close your eyes to concentrate.”

“But I could’ve hurt you!”

“I’m fine. I’m thrilled—really. Let’s do it again. Ten more times at a short distance, and we can try farther away.”

“Do you think this will draw too much power from the soulmate bond?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. When this is over, we need to talk to someone who knows more.”

“Who would that be? Who can we ask?”

“There’s only one other soulmated couple who may still be alive, but we don’t know where they are. They disappeared ten years ago, and most people assume they died. But perhaps we can find some information in the Craedenza where the ancient scrolls are stored.”

Alora felt a surge of hope that this couple might still be living. How great it would be to talk to someone who really knew about being soulmates from firsthand experience. She continued to practice for the next two hours, eventually progressing to the point where she transported her grandmother safely to Kaevin’s side. She even managed to set her down on her feet, although she wobbled a bit. She waved down at them, shuffling her feet in a victory dance. She transported Raelene and Kaevin to her.

He smiled, flashing his dimples, and her heart turned over in her chest. She felt her heart racing as he leaned in and kissed her gently on her trembling lips. “Does your head hurt?” she asked.

“No, but we shouldn’t take any chances. Right?”

“Ahem!” Raelene cleared her throat. “I doubt your bond needs strengthening from these short transports. Alora, if you’re ready, try sending him back to Graely.”

“See you later.” She made the transport with smooth confidence, and Kaevin was standing next to his father. He waved up with a smile, having landed perfectly on his feet.

“I see you gave him a better landing,” Raelene remarked.

Charles left his place beside Beth to join them, with his arms crossed. “When is this attack happening? I thought Graely said it was imminent.”

“He actually has no way of knowing,” said Raelene. “If Alora were a few years older and a lot more experienced, she could transport back down the trail to see where they are. I used to transport from treetop to treetop until I spotted the enemy. But we simply can’t risk such a thing right now.”

“They’re not far away,” Alora announced. “I can feel them now.”

Raelene’s brows tightened. “What do you mean? What can you feel?”

“I feel something wrong, something evil. It’s getting closer. It’s almost like a faint smell that’s growing stronger. It’s starting to bother me now.”

“That sounds like a different gift.” Raelene hesitated a moment. “There is a gift called discernment. I would say it’s impossible to have another major gift if you’re a bearer, but you’ve already proven nothing is impossible. Still, it would be too much to hope you have the gift.”